Guest Author – The National Wildlife Federation Bloghttp://blog.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation's blogWed, 21 Feb 2018 18:27:16 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4139259312Helping Wildlife With a Carbon Pricehttp://blog.nwf.org/2018/01/helping-wildlife-with-a-carbon-price/
http://blog.nwf.org/2018/01/helping-wildlife-with-a-carbon-price/#respondWed, 03 Jan 2018 19:14:08 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=132513The images from 2017’s intense hurricane season are unforgettable, and what they show is devastating: Loss of life. Destruction of property. Many of us were deeply moved as we watched heroes rescue not only people and pets, but also injured and displaced wildlife. During Hurricane Harvey in Texas, a colony of bats living under a bridge was saved from rapidly rising water. During Hurricane Irma in Florida, a baby and adult dolphin that washed ashore were returned to sea and able to swim away. And in many areas, baby squirrels were blown out of their nests and placed in the care of wildlife rehabilitators.

Several heartwarming wildlife rescues “went viral” during the catastrophic hurricanes. But every day, away from cameras, wildlife silently struggle to adapt to the pervasive and escalating effects of climate change. From the loss of habitat and food sources to the introduction of invasive species and disease and much more, climate change is an extreme threat to wildlife.

Carbon Pricing: A Piece of the Climate Solution Puzzle

Fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal contain carbon. When these fuels are burned, they release carbon dioxide, which traps heat in the Earth’s atmosphere. We, the public, are already paying for the damaging effects of that carbon pollution. For example, unhealthy air increases respiratory and cardiovascular disease and drives up medical costs. Droughts cause crop losses. Rising seas and coastal flooding cause property damage. If we want to slow or even reverse climate change, we have to reduce those emissions in our atmosphere.

Members of the Citizens Climate Lobby on the Capital steps. Photo CCL.

Carbon can be priced with a straightforward fee that emitters pay per ton of carbon released, or a cap-and-trade style program that limits overall pollution levels and allows trading of a decreasing number of greenhouse gas permits over time. Groups like the nonpartisan Citizens’ Climate Lobby argue for a straightforward carbon price as an efficient and business-friendly means to cut pollution swiftly.

Returning the Revenue to Americans

Groups like CCL and the conservative Climate Leadership Council (CLC) advocate not just for a carbon price, but also for carbon dividends. As the CLC explains in “The Conservative Case for Carbon Dividends,” the revenue from a carbon price could be returned equally to the American people in the form of a monthly check or direct deposit. If a carbon price started at $40 per ton, a family of four would receive around $2,000 in dividend payments in just the first year.

A similar plan is the Carbon Fee and Dividend proposal supported by Citizens’ Climate Lobby, which suggests starting the price at $15 per ton and returning all of the net revenue to households as a monthly dividend check.

Big-Time Benefits for People, Environment and Wildlife

The economists at Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI) evaluated a carbon fee and dividend style plan, and their study showed that a carbon fee and dividend plan could add approximately 2.1 million jobs after 10 years, and 2.8 million after 20 years.

Another benefit is humans’ respiratory and cardiovascular health. The transition to clean energy would clean our air of smog, ozone, fine particulate matter and other pollutants caused by burning fossil fuels. Over 20 years, approximately 230,000 premature deaths will be prevented.

The shift to cleaner energy means our air, land, oceans and waterways contain less pollutants and toxins. Wildlife populations can enjoy more of the habitats and food sources they rely on, and the ongoing decline of wildlife in the U.S. can be halted and reversed. With healthier ecosystems and food chains, wildlife populations won’t just survive—they’ll thrive. Carbon pricing doesn’t restrict polluters to specific methods or technologies to reduce carbon emissions. Businesses have the flexibility to innovate in ways that are best for them, and citizens have an economic incentive to make cleaner energy choices.

Of course, all of those benefits are just icing on the cake. The most fundamental benefit of a carbon tax or fee is huge emissions reductions that will go a long way toward stabilizing our climate. The REMI study indicates that in just 20 years, a carbon fee and dividend style plan could reduce carbon emissions to 50% of 1990 levels.

We don’t have to wait for the next severe weather event to rescue wildlife. We can all be wildlife heroes today by taking decisive action and asking our representatives to enact carbon pricing policies. We can choose to leave behind a legacy of positive environmental change and innovation. And we can leave our children thriving wildlife, beautiful lands and rich natural resources they deserve.

About the Author: Pam Shaouy is volunteer with Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). CCL is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2018/01/helping-wildlife-with-a-carbon-price/feed/0132513Climate Change: Hurting Wildlife in Our Own Backyardshttp://blog.nwf.org/2017/09/climate-change-hurting-wildlife-in-our-own-backyards/
http://blog.nwf.org/2017/09/climate-change-hurting-wildlife-in-our-own-backyards/#respondFri, 22 Sep 2017 17:55:49 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=130798For far too long, climate change seemed like a distant, impersonal problem. But the unfortunate reality is that many wildlife populations are feeling the effects of climate change now, and right in our own backyards.

Meet Stephanie, Paul and Jack: three people who love the wildlife in their area and are actively lobbying Congress to protect it.

Missing frogs

Stephanie Sides’ home in Encinitas, Calif. used to be a hot spot for the local bullfrogs to hang out. “I used to have an entire symphony of voices, all distinctive with different pitches. Even though I used to have to wear earplugs to get to sleep at night, I loved those frogs and their music.” She even hosted a “bullfrog party” several summers in a row.

But now, she says, “The bullfrogs have largely disappeared in the last several years, presumably due to drought.” California experienced drought conditions from 2011 until just this year, and frogs and toads need water to mate and lay their eggs. “I hear one lone frog voice this summer,” she says. The days of her bullfrog parties, of connecting with each other over the joys and intrigue of nature, are “now mostly lost and sorely missed,” she says.

Struggling trout

Paul Hancock has lived in—and loved—the mountain states for decades. He took up skiing in 1969 and fly fishing in 1973. As a retired resident of Pocatello, Idaho, he gets to fish or ski at least three days a week, depending on the season. “I enjoy the lack of crowds, the clean air, and the challenge of being able to navigate the outdoor world,” Paul says. “I like observing animals in their normal activities, especially the big birds when I am fishing.”

And of course, as a skier, he loves the snow. “We used to have a lot more snow at our local mountain, and our season was a month longer,” he remembers. “It is very discouraging to have moved to the area because of the cost, quality and proximity of a ski area and have it deteriorate.”

While the lack of snow is disappointing for him, it’s life-threatening to the area’s fish. “The lack of water has impacted the fishery,” Paul explains. “Trout need clean and cold water,” but the reduced snowmelt is making the trout’s habitat less and less viable. And those birds Paul enjoyed watching while he fished? He might not see them in his area for much longer. According to a report from the Audubon Society, 314 bird species will see their ranges shift and shrink over the next decades.

Disappearing pikas

American pika. Photo by NPS.

As a kid, Jack Greene used to go on nature walks and play in the woods with his mother and sister. As he got older, he started hunting and fishing with his father and uncles. “In my late 20s I was introduced to nature study and nature centers, which transformed me into a student of the marvels of nature,” Jack says.

Today, the student has become the teacher. Jack leads field trips in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest for students of all ages, and he trains environmental science teachers across the country. He also helps collect lots of “citizen science” data on the wildlife he sees.

“I am presently involved in documenting the changes in pika populations in northern Yellowstone,” Jack says, which he does through a Colorado State University Program called the Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network. The pika, a tiny mammalian cousin of the rabbit, has already disappeared from over one-third of its previously known habitat. Why? They aren’t adapted to heat above 78 degrees Fahrenheit, and as global temperatures rise, their only option is to move to higher elevations. If there are no higher elevations around and temperatures are still too high, they can’t survive.

Asking Congress to Act

Stephanie, Paul and Jack all know that the biggest threat to these species is unmitigated climate change. Higher temperatures and less predictable precipitation puts stress on many different wildlife populations, so the best chance of protecting them all is to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and stabilize our climate.

Members of the Citizens Climate Lobby on the Capital steps. Photo CCL.

To that end, Stephanie, Paul, and Jack are all members of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL). CCL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan group where thousands of volunteers lobby Congress for climate legislation. Specifically, CCL volunteers advocate for a carbon fee and dividend, which would put a price on climate-changing carbon emissions and return that revenue to American households. By making it more expensive for fossil fuel companies and others to dump greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, they—and our whole economy—will quickly shift toward cheaper low- or no-carbon energy options. That, in turn, will help stabilize our climate.

Whether they’re a Republican or a Democrat, you can almost always find common ground and mutual love of some element of the outdoors. And when your representative hears how climate change is hurting wildlife in your district, in your town, or right in your backyard, it can move them to act.

Flannery Winchester is deputy communications director for the Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) and comes from a long line of farmers and others who care for the land. CCL is a non-profit, non-partisan, grassroots advocacy organization focused on national policies to address climate change.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2017/09/climate-change-hurting-wildlife-in-our-own-backyards/feed/0130798Bears Ears National Monument: Of Spirit and Naturehttp://blog.nwf.org/2017/05/bears-ears-national-monument-of-spirit-and-nature/
http://blog.nwf.org/2017/05/bears-ears-national-monument-of-spirit-and-nature/#respondFri, 19 May 2017 21:00:46 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=128043Bears Ears National Monument is a place where Native American culture intertwines with the high desert of the Grand Gulch Plateau in southeastern Utah.

Bears Ears butte. Photo by Chamois Andersen.

Hiking through this expansive landscape, with lost canyons winding through the valley below, one feels a spiritual presence amid the sandstone outcrops and pinyon and juniper.

Bears Ears was named after two adjacent red-colored buttes, resembling bears ears, towering high above the landscape.

It is here, the Cedar Mesa, where Ancestral Puebloans inhabited the canyons between 750 and 2500 years ago. Evidence of the Basketmakers, the earliest documented inhabitants (500 BC to 750 AD), shows just how they lived in harmony with this dry desert environment. They excavated shallow pithouses and held spiritual ceremonies in what are known as “Great Kivas.” They used a weapon called the atlatl or spear thrower and darts to hunt game, and cultivated corn and squash, which they stored in granaries in the rocks.

Many of the dwellings, farming areas and rock art remain in excellent condition, hidden and blended with the natural surroundings. Bears Ears is special, and culturally and environmentally significant to our nation, two criteria for establishing a place worthy of national monument designation. Such recognition is possible under America’s Antiquities Act, signed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906. This law gives the U.S. President the authority to proclaim and create national monuments on federal lands. President Barack Obama declared Bears Ears National Monument (1.35 million acres) in December of 2016.

Bears Ears stands a monument and treasured site of our ancestral past and natural heritage. Many of the wildlife species that inhabit the area were used for food and clothing by the ancient people. Ancestral Puebloans used nets or snares to catch cottontail rabbits. Infants were wrapped in rabbit fur blankets. The Puebloans also hunted desert bighorn sheep and mule deer for food and clothing, and created tools from the bones. Rock art can be seen towering above on the canyon walls, with many scenes depicting bighorn sheep.

Desert cottontail rabbit. Photo Bureau of Land Management.

Coexisting with nature with our ancestral beginnings is the beauty of Bears Ears, worthy of protection so this place-based landscape – kivas, cliff dwellings and rock art – can remain intact and appreciated by future generations.

The spiritual connection to the landscape also includes the region’s flora. The prehistoric peoples of Cedar Mesa used a number of the native plants for food, medicine, clothing, housing and ornaments. Native grasses such as Indian ricegrass and dropseed were harvested in early summer and ground into meal for making bread. The prickly pear cactus provided fruits that could be peeled and eaten. Other plants such as the yucca were used for weaving baskets.

The Basketweavers and culture likely derived from earlier nomadic hunters and gathers. Artifacts from the Basketweavers are some the oldest found in the area. It is believed likely that a series of droughts drove the Basketweavers to the nearby mountains. Later, after their descendants returned around AD 1050, they brought with them the influence of the Mesa Verde people to the east and the Kayenta people to the south. By the late 1200s, the prehistoric Puebloans moved out of the area, also likely because of the droughts of the 12th and 13th centuries, in addition to a lack of natural resources and competition with the nomadic tribes from the north. Today, the canyons of Cedar Mesa are important to the Hopi, Ute, Navajo and various Pueblo tribes. Bears Ears is a national monument to all Americans, teeming in Native American culture and connecting us to the spiritual and natural world.

Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument is ground zero in the fight for our public lands, and the first national monument to be “reviewed” under an executive order from President Trump. Another 26 monuments, which include irreplaceable habitats, also are at risk of being shrunk or eliminated, or possibly turned over to private interests.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2017/05/bears-ears-national-monument-of-spirit-and-nature/feed/0128043Fish Grow on Treeshttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/11/fish-grow-on-trees/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/11/fish-grow-on-trees/#respondWed, 16 Nov 2016 13:36:48 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=124243We have songs and stories to teach children about the connection between seemingly unrelated things. John Muir put it in perspective: “When you tug at one thing in nature, you find it hitched to everything else.”

My “ah-ha!” moment happened at a presentation I attended a few years ago. A slide on the screen showed two rows of fish: on the left, smaller fish from a river with an urbanized floodplain, and on the right, fish of the same species and same age from a river with a natural, functioning floodplain. The fish on the right were almost twice the size as the ones on the left.

Fish from rivers with healthy floodplains thrive, while those in rivers without a healthy floodplain merely survive.

A healthy riparian corridor includes native trees and minimal disturbance within 100 feet of the streambank. Waccamaw River photo by Charles Slate.

The connection between thriving fish, healthy rivers, and functioning floodplains? Trees. Forested watersheds have been shown much higher water quality than their urbanized counterparts. Trees provide a wide range of ecological services. Tree canopy lessens the erosive impact of rain and slows the velocity of stormwater flowing towards the river, as well as floodwaters spilling out onto the floodplain. Trees trap sediments that build the floodplain while the roots stabilize the riverbanks. Trees also provide shade for maintaining water temperature. Fallen leaves, limbs, and branches support the food web by providing food and habitat for the bugs that are in turn food for fish. Clean, cool water with more food equals bigger fish. Therefore, fish grow on trees.

The connection between fish and trees and rivers is now poised to emerge in our urban areas. Many cities, from large to small, are recognizing the benefits of reestablishing the physical and emotional linkage between the river, trees and the community. For instance, San Antonio has its iconic River Walk, Chicago has just completed its riverfront, Washington DC has its Southwest Waterfront neighborhood, and Pittsburgh has reconnected neighborhoods to its three rivers via a network of urban trails. Furthermore, Hartford, Nashville, Providence, Denver, and Detroit all offer events on their downtown riverfronts that draw thousands, and Cincinnati, Columbus, Owensboro and many more are rediscovering their community-to-river reconnection. But when you look at images of these urban riverfronts, you notice they all have one thing in common: a lot of hardscape. Hard engineered solutions are meant to reduce maintenance and accommodate maximum access.

The trend in revitalizing urban riverfronts is a giant step forward, but our urban riverfronts also need soft green edges. They need the green space and trees that humans and fish, and all living things, require to thrive. It isn’t possible or desirable to return our urban rivers to forested watersheds, but we can reintroduce trees to our river corridors provide while also adding value to our urban communities.

Healthy for fish, healthy for people. Give trees to fish, and we’re also giving them to ourselves.

I’ve decided there needs to be a song about how fish grow on trees. Remember this folk song?

“…Oh, the limb on the tree,And the tree in a hole
And the hole in the ground
And the green grass grew all around, all around
And the green grass grew all around…”

Let’s add “…and the green trees grew all around, all around…and big fish in the river are found.”

About the Author: Lisa Hollingsworth-Segedy is the Associate Director for River Restoration in American Rivers’ Western Pennsylvania Field Office.

About two years ago, I wrote about my partnership with the National Wildlife Federation and why the Otter Creek Mine would never be built. It wasn’t just a guess, a hunch, some hope founded on irrationality. What I wrote two years ago about the demise of the Otter Creek mine proposal was based on conviction, dedication, the strength of my people and our connections to our homelands.

Yet, I was still surprised and overwhelmed when Arch Coal, Inc. announced last Thursday that it was suspending efforts to secure a permit for the Otter Creek Coal mine in Southeastern Montana. Arch cited restraints related to its recent bankruptcy filing and the declining demand for coal. Those economic and market factors did play a role, but consistent with Arch Coal’s gerrymandering over the years, the company failed to acknowledge the fundamental reasons behind their failure to develop their fantasy coal project.

In April 2013, I wrote that what Arch Coal doesn’t understand is community. They don’t understand history. They don’t understand the Cheyenne people whose ancestors fought and died for the land that they are proposing to destroy. They don’t understand the fierceness with which the people, both Indian and non-Indian, in southeastern Montana love the land.

This is why not one dragline will rip the coal from the earth and not one dynamite blast will loosen the precious topsoil. It is why not one rail car will be loaded with coal and why not one toxic orange cloud will pass over someone’s house or the Tongue River. It is why not one burial site will be dug up and why not one elk will be displaced. It is why our water will continue to run clean and plentiful and our wildlife will continue to roam free.

We will not only stop the Otter Creek coal mine, we will pursue renewable, distributed energy and find real, sustainable solutions for our people.

Last Thursday’s announcement was the result of decades of opposition by those most affected by the proposed project. The Northern Cheyenne Tribe and other tribal nations, the National Wildlife Federation, ranchers and local communities, hunters and anglers, and conservationists have consistently pointed out the threats to wildlife, cultural resources, and the ranching and recreation economies that are the lifeblood of the Powder River Region of Southeastern Montana.

The end of the mine proposal was a remarkable triumph of community resilience. It was the result of our people and our allies standing up for wildlife, our culture, our health, our future. It was the consequence of the true will of the people overcoming corporate greed. It was a triumph of passion and morality.

Otter Creek Montana. Photo by Alexis Bonogofsky

We won because we understand history. We won because the future does not lay in misguided projects that will destroy our climate and our planet, but in a clean energy future that respects balance and connection between the land, people, and wildlife.

It was a major victory for our homelands, the people, and future generations. It means there is hope, hope for our people and our Cheyenne way of life. Today, we reflect on all the hard work and prayers for our homelands and Cheyenne people, and know there is a bright future ahead.

Vanessa Braided Hair is a Northern Cheyenne tribal member, co-founder of EcoCheyenne, and organizes tribal citizens to oppose the development of the proposed Otter Creek coal mine and Tongue River Railroads in southeastern Montana. She is a also a wildlands firefighter and descendent of the Northern Cheyenne Otter Creek homesteaders. She lives on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in southeastern Montana.

Unless you’re an angler, you’ve probably never heard the term “steelhead”. Most Americans don’t know that a steelhead is an anadromous rainbow trout that’s born in freshwater, migrates downstream to the ocean, grows large and strong, and then returns to its natal stream to spawn and start the cycle all over.

Photo by Jeremy Roberts, Conservation Media, LLC

If that description reminds you of salmon, you’re spot-on. Steelhead and Pacific salmon share the same habitats and many of the same characteristics. And as we’ve seen with wild salmon, many of our native steelhead runs have been depleted by overfishing and environmental degradation. That’s a shame, because steelhead are one of the most beautiful, amazing fish on the planet.

Unfortunately, the biggest threats to steelhead – and to salmon, as well – are just starting to show up and make an impact. Climate change is beginning to raise river and ocean temperatures while altering the base of the saltwater food chain, while ocean acidification is literally changing the chemical composition of our sea water and placing the future for steelhead and salmon at risk.

Photo by Jeremy Roberts, Conservation Media, LLC

To raise the profile of these looming threats, we traveled deep into the coastal wilderness of British Columbia with a handful of passionate anglers and a small camera crew. Our new film, CHROME, celebrates the joy and passion that steelhead evoke in the fly fishing community. The film also takes a long, hard look at the threats that climate change and ocean acidification pose to these iconic fish.

We were incredibly fortunate to have a handful of major conservation organizations, including the National Wildlife Federation, support the film. Many of the world’s top fly fishing brands also came on board as sponsors. CHROME is currently touring the U.S. as part of the 2016 Fly Fishing Film Tour, and we anticipate releasing the film, which is 12 minutes long, to the general public in mid-April.

The only way we’re going to protect incredible fish like steelhead and salmon, and the only way we’re going to give our kids and grandkids a shot at a decent future, is by standing tall and demanding that Congress do its job. America has to kick its addiction to fossil fuels and ramp up clean, renewable energy as quickly as possible.

As author Seamus McGraw put it, “If the glint of steelhead in a cold mountain stream or the sight of a lumbering bear on a rocky bank doesn’t quicken your pulse, if the thought of losing it all to a changing climate doesn’t grieve you, there’s probably precious little on this planet that will. But if you’ve got a heart for it, CHROME, the new film from Conservation Hawks, is a call to arms. It demands just a few minutes of your time and pays it back in spades. Visually stunning, poetic, and above all human, it’s calls on all of us to demand action to preserve the wild spaces, and the still wild parts of ourselves. I heartily recommend it.”

About the Author: Todd Tanner is a life-long fisherman, an outdoor writer, and the president of Conservation Hawks.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/02/fish-of-steel/feed/2117505Students Build a Monarch Refugehttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/02/students-build-a-monarch-refuge/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/02/students-build-a-monarch-refuge/#respondWed, 17 Feb 2016 20:08:03 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=117345The Innovation Academy is a specialized program at Martin Middle School that is focused on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The Academy was established in Fall of 2015 with the goal of better preparing students for a successful high school career and college readiness.

The Academy does this by providing various enrichment opportunities inside and outside of the classroom, as well as a high level of rigor. The Innovation Academy at Martin has numerous partnerships throughout the business and educational community, including a partnership with the University of Texas and the National Wildlife Federation.

Students gardening. Photo by Erica Brokaw

Last fall, the Innovation Academy held an event in order to build a monarch butterfly refuge and food garden on their campus. There were over 70 students, teachers, parents, and community members at the event and Chipotle donated burritos to feed everyone who attended.

During the event, there were 7 gardens built from scratch and a total of 12 gardens planted in. The turnout resulted in the most successful community gardening day of any school in Austin Independent School District (ISD) history. Part of the gardening project included a cross-curricular, Project Based Learning (PBL) curriculum for the students.

Students gardening. Photo by Erica Brokaw

Monarch. Photo by Marya Fowler

For the weeks leading up to the gardening event, the students studied about the migration of the monarchs in social studies and about the life cycle and environmental factors of the monarchs during science class. The students even drew up plans and designed the garden during their “Gateways to Technology” class. With all of the information they gathered about the monarch: their lives, needs, why they are in danger, and what people can do to help, the students then created presentations using photos from the garden project as well.

Martin Middle School also held a STEAM (STEM, including the arts) night in order to showcase their Fine Arts programs, and all of the excellent projects occurring in science and math classes. The event was held in the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center (PAC).

During Martin’s STEAM night, over 500 parents, educators, and community members attended. In between the performances, the Innovation Academy students went on stage and their Power Point presentations were projected on the large screens in front of the audience. The groups each went through their presentations, with all students being responsible for speaking to the audience about their section.

Not only was this the first time that many of the students had spoken publically, but it was also the first time any of them had ever been on a large stage in an auditorium. The students did an excellent job and generated a lot of conversation about the monarchs in the school and community. Success!

Martin Middle School is certified with the National Wildlife Federation as a Schoolyard Habitat since the area offers places for wildlife to find food, water, cover, and places to reproduce and raise their young. The area also is maintained through sustainable gardening.

This past October, our first grade Eco-Schools USA Monarch Heroes at Piney Point Elementary hosted a fabulous Garden Party in Houston, TX! The students in two of the classes had been working since they returned to school in August on this project, and the Heroes event marked the celebration of their accomplishments so far.

Monarch Heroes is an initiative of the National Wildlife Federation’s to help students save the declining Monarch population by providing more habitat and raising awareness of their plight.

By participating in this program, our first grade leaders have learned a lot about the monarch: its life cycle, diet, habitat needs, and annual migration.

They participated in the Annenberg Foundation’s Journey North Symbolic Migration by sending paper ambassador butterflies to Mexico, selecting appropriate native host plants and nectar sources, designing their garden, and launching a print and video campaign to raise funds for their garden.

Their Monarch Money fund drive collected almost $800 which they then used to purchase planters, soil, and plants.

Monarch Heroes. Photo from Piney Point Elementary

The students set up the beds and got everything planted in the fall, and have been hard at work ever since making signs, learning plant facts, and helping design fun activities for their garden launch party.

Visitors made seed bombs, added their handprints to the planters to decorate them, and were treated to an informational tour of the garden featuring an “artist’s conception” of how it will look when the monarchs return in the spring.

Piney Point Elementary is certified with the National Wildlife Federation as a Schoolyard Habitat since the area offers places for wildlife to find food, water, cover, and places to reproduce and raise their young. The area also is maintained through sustainable gardening.

We are Panther Proud of all the leadership shown by these fabulous first graders!

About the Author: Ms. Kimberly Boyce-Quentin, Piney Point Elementary Teacher and Project Based Learning Instructor

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/02/monarch-heroes-in-texas/feed/0117192Earth Heroes Hope to “Zero Out” Wastehttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/02/earth-heroes-hope-to-zero-out-waste/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/02/earth-heroes-hope-to-zero-out-waste/#respondTue, 09 Feb 2016 16:35:17 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=116659Students at Park Forest Elementary School in State College, Pennsylvania wanted to know, “How can we become a zero waste school?”. Students and teachers reached out to the school district’s Directors of Food Service and Physical Plant, Penn State University, and their county’s Recycling & Refuse Authority for advice. They were told to “start small, look for the low-hanging fruit, and then build on those successes”.

Penn State staff conducted a three-day waste audit and found that lunchtime landfill-bound waste totaled 775 pounds: 172 pounds of refuse and 603 pounds of recyclables. The milk cartons alone totaled 96.5 pounds. There was an additional 389 pounds of compostable organic matter.

The zero waste lunch line diverts most of the cafeteria refuse from landfills. Photo by Donnan Stoicovy

Zero Waste Team

After the audit, two Penn State students mapped the school’s waste infrastructure, including waste bin locations. Recycling bins and bottle collection buckets were typically hidden under desks. This restricted access unintentionally taught that recycling was optional, a lesson contrary to the team’s goals.

A Zero Waste Team comprised of students, teachers, parents, custodial staff, Penn State students and the district’s Director of Physical Plant split into groups to address better signage, behavior change, visual demonstrations, and preparation of recycling areas. The first step was to change the sizes and locations of waste receptacles in every classroom and office space to maximize opportunities for recycling.

Students Make A Difference

Student made posters and banners were placed around the school asking, “Are you sure?, helping to keep recycling in mind. Small student groups visited classrooms to talk about waste items, show where the containers were located, where different items go and why. Zero Waste Team members set up information tables to show examples of waste

In 2013, students diverted 11,839 pounds of waste from the landfill. Beyond recycling, they compost organic matter in twelve outdoor chambers and several in-class vermicompost bins (i.e. worms). In 2014, they composted meats, cheeses, bones, oil, and paper towels through a community initiative. As of December 2014, 26,677 pounds of organics have been collected from the lunchroom, classroom, and restroom areas, which has reduced landfill pick-ups from five times a week to twice a week and the waste disposal bill from $534 per month to $261 per month. Lunchroom waste has now been reduced to wax-coated milk cartons and silver-lined potato chip bags.

Earth Heroes

Park Forest Elementary School broadcasts their successes to the community through fairs, exhibits, and presentations. In the future, they will set up community tours showing where their compost and other materials go, develop a waste protocol for outside groups who use the school, and develop an Earth Heroes Recognition Program for students and teachers whose efforts go above and beyond.

]]>http://blog.nwf.org/2016/02/earth-heroes-hope-to-zero-out-waste/feed/0116659The Olympics of the Conservation World: Coming to Hawai‘ihttp://blog.nwf.org/2016/01/the-olympics-of-the-conservation-world-coming-to-hawaii/
http://blog.nwf.org/2016/01/the-olympics-of-the-conservation-world-coming-to-hawaii/#commentsFri, 22 Jan 2016 16:33:15 +0000http://blog.nwf.org/?p=116651Do not let anyone tell you that dreams do not come true – this is a story about a dream that came true and that can change the future for wildlife and the world.

It began in 2008 when thousands of people including national leaders and conservation practitioners from around the world gathered in Barcelona, Spain, to attend the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress (WWC). The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), based in Switzerland, is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization, with more than 1,200 government and NGO members and almost 11,000 volunteer experts in some 160 countries.

Listed by IUCN as one of the top 100 threatened species in the world, the Hibiscadelphus woodii is now considered extinct due to the impact of feral goats. The survival of Hawai‘i’s native birds and wildlife is inseparable from the survival of the plants upon which they depend. Photo courtesy of National Tropical Botanical Garden.

The WCC is held only once every four years and has been called the “Olympics” of the conservation world. It is powerful, inclusive, engaging, and helps to set the conservation agenda for IUCN globally for the next four years. Hosting the WCC is very prestigious and countries around the world compete for the honor. It is a highly competitive process and one that is conducted by national governments, not cities or organizations. Bidding for a WCC involves high level politics and major commitments of time and resources.

Hawaiian monk seals are one of the endangered species living in Hawai‘i. Photo by USFWS

Following the 2008 WCC, a strange thing happened. Three dedicated conservationists from Hawai‘i – Penny Levin from Maui, Christopher Dunn from Honolulu, and myself (from Kaua‘i) indulged in a casual conversation about how great it would be for the world if the IUCN would consider Hawai‘i as the location for its World Conservation Congress.

We knew in our hearts that Hawai‘i could inspire the world through our amazing biodiversity, our vibrant indigenous Hawaiian culture and the commitment of the conservation community to work together to develop some of the most cutting edge biocultural conservation programs on earth. Hawai‘i has been called the endangered species capital of the world, and for good reason. Nearly all of our native wildlife, from monk seals to hoary bats to sea turtles to forest birds are currently listed as threatened or endangered.

In short, we knew that holding a WCC in Hawai‘i could be a game changer – it could be an important factor in moving our planet away from rapidly approaching the tipping point, and instead slowly move towards a turning point that will take us to sustainability. The stakes are high and our children’s children depend on us to make this change. Our planet’s biodiversity is our life support system and it is being degraded and destroyed at the rate that is unsustainable!

“Having been born and raised in Hawai‘i I have seen first-hand the increasing endangerment of our unique biodiversity and the renaissance of our native Hawaiian culture. Islands are evolutionary engines that generate biocultural diversity but they are sensitive ecological systems that are often the first places to feel the impacts of development, invasive species and climate change. Hawai‘i is a microcosm of the issues the IUCN is dealing with around the world and we have developed innovative and collaborative programs to deal with these issues. ”

In time, the dream spread and many passionate people began to add their voices and talents to our cause. While I was the elected leader for this effort, it took an army of dedicated people from the national conservation, environmental and foundation community to pull it off including help from the National Wildlife Federation and their Hawai‘i state affiliate Conservation Council of Hawai‘i.

The traditional Hawaiian land concept of ahupua‘a (from the mountain to the sea) forms the basis for biocultural conservation approaches today. Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kauai is a living example of this. Photo courtesy of National Tropical Botanical Garden

From the very beginning CCH and NWF embraced and supported this effort because they understood the value of our dream and the impact it could have on their conservation mission. NWF is a founding IUCN member and has been a powerful voice for conservation nationally and globally. They knew that having a WCC inside the USA could be transformational and could catalyze change and action. Having supporters like NWF backing this vision gave it credibility and national standing – their voice is not easily ignored!

After many unsuccessful appeals to the US Department of State, it appeared that we had exhausted our options. With the determined insistence of former NWF board member Steven Montgomery, and fast action by NWF to mobilize fellow national conservation organizations, a sign on letter was produced at the 11th hour that helped to push the State Department to finally support and sign off on our bid to host.

Then, on May 21, 2014, to our amazement, and the amazement of many around the world, the IUCN Council voted unanimously to award the 2016 World Conservation Congress to Hawai‘i!

As we count down to September 1-10, 2016 when the world will meet in Hawai‘i, I encourage all NWF members, supporters and affiliates to consider how they can be part of this once-in-a-lifetime historic opportunity.

If you are an NWF affiliate or partner organization, consider joining as an IUCN member and send a delegation to the Congress. Your participation and support will help to ensure that the 2016 World Conservation Congress leaves a legacy that will change the world.

Leave a comment of support below!

About the Author: Chipper Wichman is the President, Chief Executive Officer and Director of the National Tropical Botanical Garden. For the past 40 years, Chipper has worked at the National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) where he has led efforts to preserve the precious natural and cultural resources of Hawai`i where he was born and raised. Some of Chipper’s many accomplishments include the creation of the award winning Limahuli Garden and Preserve on Kaua‘i, the restoration of Pi`ilanihale Heiau in Hana, the construction of a $15 million LEED Gold botanical research center at NTBG, and leading the effort to bring the IUCN World Conservation Congress to Hawaii in 2016.